More Milwaukee movement/an opening coming?

This isn't the Cowboys beat job for the DMN, is it? That, in some form, was open I think.

 

Bobbi is covering preps at the DMN from what I heard.

 

Covering UWM b-ball would be more appealing than preps at the DMN to me. But that's just how I feel about it. I'm sure most would prefer the DMN, but I think MJS has a great section as well. I totally understand the jump, but I would never leave Milwaukee for Dallas/Fort Worth. I love little Chicago way too much.

 

Is Bobbi from the DFW area? She did a nice job with Milwaukee. But, let me pose this question. After Milwaukee basketball made its Sweet 16 run a few years back, the J-S gave Bobbi the newly-created beat. Since, the team has been rebuilding, and been pretty bad. Would the level of play weigh on your decision to leave?

 

The beat existed before Bobbi .... Dan Manoyan, Michael Cunningham, Charles Gardner and Mark Stewart all were UWM beat writers at one point.

Granted, the beat became much more prominent once the team started going to the postseason four straight years and the JS began to cover the team on the road frequently.

UWM had ONE bad year after losing 7 seniors (the year after it went to the Sweet 16, UWM advanced to the second round of the NCAAs). This year, UWM has a solid recruiting class (Tim Flowers and Kevin Johnson of Chicago Simeon, Deonte Roberts of Notre Dame Prep, for example) plus Torre Johnson (formerly of Oklahoma State) in the lineup.

Very possible UWM could be back in the NCAA Tournament this year.

 

Gutter, I probably sounded like a bitter Marquette fan there. Wasn't having the best day writing my thoughts yesterday.

The beat expanded, but prior to Bobbi, it seemed non-existent. I'm familiar with Dan and Mark, but it always seemed like their scopes were the entire state. UWM seemed big enough to hold its own exclusive writer, with the exception being the summer.

Last year = horrible team. Rebuilding, yes. Great coach, yes. But a bad team. I hope the coverage does not subside. Seems like Witrado would be a nice fit.

 

The two go hand-in-hand.

UWM basketball was pretty much non-existent until Bo Ryan arrived in 1999, then Bruce Pearl ran with the momentum in 2001. Remember, they've only been D1 since the early 90s; it takes time to build up a good D1 fan base ... especially in a pro-sports town and one with many UW and MU fans already in place.

That's the problem with Horizon League schools and why they will always struggle to get to the stature and fan base of say, the Missouri Valley Conference. A majority of the Horizon schools (with the exception of Green Bay and Youngstown, and I guess Valpo) are located in major cities where they are either competing for attention with pro sports or another D1 program in the city for the majority of the season. MVC schools are largely the biggest game in town ... their fan bases are established and fans aren't as fickle. Helps that the conference has been around for many, many years with largely its same membership.

As far as the beat goes, Bobbi also provided back-up on Marquette and UW ... and also on women's college basketball, I believe. So she wasn't solely slotted to UWM (she also covered a few UWM women's games).

I think it's a solid college beat for someone who wants to move up the ladder ... if they do stay within, I hope they move Witrado up to the beat. I have enjoyed reading his work ... he has tackled some tough issues and good stories on the prep beat.

And no, I'm not Anthony.

 

Nice recap, Gutter. Thanks for the refresher.

 

Manoyan and Gardner are solid. They've both covered a slew of different sports and wouldn't miss a beat if they stepped in. Although Charles is doing a ton of Bucks work at this point in time. Manoyan is a heck of a writer.

That's the beauty of the MJS staff, they have a corps of strong writers who can come in as needed.

 

I am not Bobbi, but I've met her a few times. I believe she was moving to Dallas to get married, not for professional reasons. I'm glad she found a good job and a good man!

 

Yep, Bobbi's getting married in May. Her fiance is a Texas man.

I agree, Paperdoll. She'll do great at the DMN.